This volume contains the proceedings of a conference “Hugo Grotius as a Theologian” (1992), held at the occasion of the retirement of professor Guillaume H.M. Posthumus Meyjes, the editor of Grotius' Meletius. Containing thirteen lectures, it is divided into three sections. In the first all Grotius' main theological works are discussed. The second section presents studies of Grotius' relationship to Erasmus, his polemics with André Rivet, his views on scholarly and religious developments in contemporary France, and his opinions on Jews and Judaism. Four lectures on the reception of Grotius' theological thought in the 17th and 18th centuries in Great Britain, Switzerland and the Netherlands, constitute the third section. In the appendix, a bibliography on the theme 'Grotius as a theologian' is provided. Publications by G.H.M. Posthumus Meyjes: • Geschiedenis van het Waalse College te Leiden, 1606-1699, ISBN: 978 90 04 06669 4 (Out of print) • Jean Gerson et l'Assemblée de Vincennes (1329): Ses conceptions de la juridiction temporelle de l'Église, ISBN: 978 90 04 05740 1 • Hugo Grotius – Meletius, sive de iis quae inter Christianos conveniunt epistola. Critical Edition with Translation, Commentary and Introduction, ISBN: 978 90 04 08356 1 • Edited by C. Berkvens-Stevelinck, J. Israel and G.H.M. Posthumus Meyjes, Emergence of Tolerance in the Dutch Republic, ISBN: 978 90 04 10768 7 • G.H.M. Posthumus Meyjes. Translated by J.C. Grayson, Jean Gerson - Apostle of Unity: His Church Politics and Ecclesiology, ISBN: 978 90 04 11296 4

In this book Christoph Stumpf investigates theological influences upon the legal theory of Hugo Grotius (1583-1645), who is regarded by many as the "father of modern international law". The author analyses how Grotius has contributed to the transformation and further development of international law from its roots in Christian theology to a trans-religious law of nations. From the theological substance in Grotius' views on international relations the author concludes that Grotius' legal theory can be perceived as a theological system of international law.

Human rights are thought to guarantee pluralism by protecting individual liberty from imposed religious conceptions of virtue. Yet critics often argue that this secular focus on merely avoiding violations can also enable unfettered individualism and undermine appeals to the common good. This book uncovers in secular rights pioneer Hugo Grotius a rights theory that points toward the enlargement of individual responsibility. It grounds this connection in Grotius’ unexplored theological corpus, which reveals a dual metaethics and jurisprudence. Here a deontological natural law undergirds a secular theory of rights that is self-aware of its own limitations. A teleological practical reason then guides the exercise of these rights, so as not to compromise the political order that defends them. The book then illustrates this symbiosis of rights and responsibilities in five areas: consent theories of government, rights of rebellion, criminal punishment, war and international responsibility, and Atonement theology. This reassesses Grotius’ legacy as a secularist opponent of classical political thought, and suggests that modern liberalism and universal human rights are compatible with a world of resurgent religion.

Offers an overview of Grotius' work and thought, from his historical, theological and political writing to his seminal legal interventions.

Essays over leven en werk van de Nederlandse geleerde, diplomaat en politicus Hugo de Groot (1583-1645).